Anthony Davidson says 23-year-old F1 driver is ‘a little terrier’

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Anthony Davidson has likened Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda to ‘a little terrier’ after his spat with the team at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Tsunoda criticised RB after they ordered him to let teammate Daniel Ricciardo through in the closing stages of the season-opening race.

And speaking during FP1 in Saudi Arabia, Davidson has given his verdict on the controversy.

Tsunoda was chasing the Haas of Kevin Magnussen for 12th place, but the team told him to move aside for Ricciardo.

The former Red Bull driver was on faster soft compound tyres at the time, but the Japanese youngster questioned the instruction.

When he did eventually move aside, he sarcastically thanked the team, and he then urged Ricciardo to speed up.

The two drivers narrowly avoided a collision on the cooldown lap after the chequered flag.

It’s the start of their first full season together as teammates after Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries midway through last season.

Anthony Davidson discusses Yuki Tsunoda mentality

Davidson says RB made the wrong call in Bahrain, and will have formulated a ‘better plan’ if they face a similar scenario in subsequent races.

He wasn’t surprised that 23-year-old Tsunoda reacted in the manner that he did after receiving the message.

He said (13:32): “He’s a little terrier out there when the visor closes, so once the dust has settled I’m sure they’ve settled this pragmatically, and moving forward they’ve got a better plan in place. That wasn’t a brilliant plan I think.”

Tsunoda and Ricciardo forge new rivalry

Tsunoda and Ricciardo are jostling for the status of top dog at RB in the knowledge that Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is out of contract at the end of the season.

The latter is vastly more experienced, with nearly 250 Grands Prix under his belt in addition to eight race wins and 32 podiums.

And team principal Laurent Mekies says he’s now seeing the ‘best’ version of Ricciardo despite his struggles at McLaren.

Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft says that Tsunoda, who’s just begun his third season in F1, has ‘massive potential’.

But colleague Naomi Schiff wonders whether he’s feeling ‘threatened’ by the presence of Ricciardo alongside him.